by Anne R. Allen
I’ve been going through my blog archives, and I found one of the first pieces I wrote for the blog—15 years ago. This was before the “Kindle Revolution” had really taken hold, so almost all beginning writers were desperately trying to “land an agent.” (We seemed to treat agents like some elusive species of game fish in those days.)
But what struck me about this piece is that the message is still relevant. New writers are still expecting to jump right into a career with only one book under their belt. This is because we’re still telling each other the same myths about the success of first novels.
Here’s the truth about “practice novels.”
You’re not Failing as a Writer. You’re Building Inventory! (post from 2010)
Most writers I meet are desperately trying to get a first novel published. Most will fail. Here’s the bleak truth: almost no writer gets a book deal on the basis of a first novel alone.
“Yeah, but…” sez you, “how come I see first novels published all the time?”
Because, gentle writer-friends, the “debut” book is NOT the writer’s first novel. It’s probably her third. Or fifth. Or tenth. It’s simply her first novel that got published—the one that finally got an agent’s attention AND could withstand the nasty scrutiny of a bunch of snarky editors and marketing people looking for reasons to reject it. (Remember: finding representation is just a first step to another set of rejections—this time of your agent’s pitch.)
So does that mean you should just toss that first novel into the shredder?
Nope.
OK, a lot of us will realize, after we learn to write better, that the first novel was just a practice piece. But others write excellent beginning novels that don’t get picked up—mostly because they aren’t the high-concept, breakout, hits-the-current-trend-at-the-perfect-spot-in-the-curve material publishers require these days.
So what you need to do after that first round of rejections is put the first novel in a drawer and write another. And another. And keep querying. And keep getting rejections.
No, don’t jump off that bridge!
Don’t Open a Store with One Item to Sell
You’re not facing defeat; you’re BUILDING INVENTORY. You wouldn’t open a store with only one item to sell, would you?
I recently read an interview with agent Jenny Bent in the online zine Women On Writing. The interviewer asks if agents prefer writers with more than one book “in the works.” Here’s what Jenny said:
“Absolutely. It’s pretty much essential. They want an author for the long haul, not just one book. And these days, they want to release them pretty close together because the thinking is that this is the best way to build an author.”
Think about it: writing another novel in a few months while you’re also focusing on marketing your debut book (and keeping your day job) could send you on screamy-meemy overload. So isn’t it nice you’ll have that drawer full of manuscripts?
Some Do’s and Don’ts
One caveat: DON’T make all those books part of a series. (A major mistake I made.) If you can’t sell #1, nobody’s going to want to buy #3 or #4 as a breakthrough “debut.” The best thing to do if you’re looking for an agent is write your books as stand-alone titles.
But DO write them in the same genre. Develop a personal style or setting that can be established as your “brand,” but don’t use the same characters or a continuing storyline.
Then, when that agent call comes, and she asks what else you’re working on, you can deliver your already perfected pitch for the novel-in-the-drawer (and all its little friends) and you might even get yourself a multiple-book deal.
Remember—to be a successful writer, you have to be in it for the long haul. So, in spite of all the rejections you’re getting on that first novel, go write another and start building inventory.
originally posted by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen) February 7, 2010
Self-Publishing Has Changed the Way We’re Building Inventory
I think the above advice still stands for any author seeking representation.
But of course in the era of self-publishing, you don’t have to go through the grueling process of fishing for an agent. But that doesn’t mean you should self-publish that first novel without building inventory.
If you are planning to self-publish, this advice is still pretty good, except the part about writing in a series. You can self-publish a series even if book #1 doesn’t rock the publishing world. You can build interest as you release more titles. But you’ll get much more traction if you publish them in quick succession, which will be a lot easier if you have already written several titles in that series.
And remember that short fiction and creative nonfiction should be in your inventory, too. Having a story ready if you’re invited to join an anthology or publish in a magazine raises your profile and will build your brand.
by Anne R. Allen (@annerallen, @annerallen.bsky.social) June 22, 2025
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What about you, scriveners? Did you “land an agent” with a first novel? Do you know anybody who has? Did you decide to self-publish a first novel? Are you building inventory?
THE HOUR OF THE MOTH
A light and funny beach read just right for summer fun.
And this poor book needs reviews. I’ve turned into a total slacker when it comes to getting reviews, so if anybody wants a free digital review copy, just leave a comment or contact me. I’ll send you a code for a free download from BookFunnel. A fair and honest review would be much appreciated, but not required.
Ebook and paper book available at Amazon. Paper book also available at Barnes and Noble
NPR fans, there are Easter Eggs in this story just for you!
When Camilla Randall allows a neighboring business to hold a “Moth Hour” storytelling event in the courtyard of her beachy California bookstore, she finds an inconvenient corpse left in the audience after the event. The deceased, a storyteller famous for his appearances on NPR, turns out to have a shady past — and a lot of enemies. Unfortunately, Camilla’s boyfriend Ronzo is one of them.
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featured image by wayhomestudios on freepik
Yes, the problem is individuals in today’s world, more so than ever, expect immediate success. Indeed, immediate success takes too long.
First, from a novel perspective: A writer in my home town had two novels published that had less than mediocre success. In 2011 he had his third book represented by an agent who even got an auction going. Random House ended up winning the auction and paid a $200,000 US advance. The agent also sold Canadian rights for $50,000 CAN and the British rights for 30,000 pounds.
Incredible success, right? Yes, it was fairly easy money in his pocket but the US edition of the book sold fewer than 5,000 copies in both hardcover and paperback. Of course, the advance was non-refundable — so he got to keep the entire amount, less the agent’s fee. As for me, I would feel like a complete fraud having taken that big of an advance for so few copies sold. It goes without saying that his next books got little attention from agents and publishers.
On the other hand, my “How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free” was written in 2003 and was rejected by 35 British and US publishers. I had to self-publish even though I had some real success with my books previously. HTRHW&F has now sold over 475,000 copies. The book has earned me over $1.75 million US. I definitely don’t feel like a fraud.
Here’s the weird thing, however. I have a new book called “Great Friends Rock: How to Find Them — And Keep Them!” ready to be published. My books have sold over 1,125,000 copies worldwide and have been published in 22 languages in 29 countries. Yet I think that any agents to whom I send the new book as well as all the major publishers will reject the book. They will say I have no platform. The fact that I have come up with 75 to 100 unique book marketing techniques (that 95 percent of book experts are not creative or smart enough to come up with) will fall on deaf ears. So I will self-publish — and prove them wrong again.
In short, unless you are James Patterson or Stephen King, you will have to keep proving yourself in this industry forever — without anyone else’s help!
Ernie–It’s true that landing a deal with one of the Big 5 publishing houses doesn’t guarantee success. With non-fiction self-help books like yours, self publishing is often the wisest route.
I agree with your comments, Anne. Sadly, they came too late for me. At least the bit about building an inventory. My first book was published, then I started writing the second! But I’d definitely recommend any hopeful new writers to follow your suggestions.
As to reviews of The Hour of the Moth, I’m sorry, but I’ve not written one yet! I read it some weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s been my intention each day to at least make a start, but something keeps on turning up, as well as usual chores!
I promise it’ll be up in the next day or two. 🤞
V.M. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed The Hour of the Moth. If you can review it, that will make me (and my publisher) very happy. 🙂
I would like a free download of The Hour of the Moth. Thank you.
D.J. I’ve emailed the link to you. I hope you enjoy it!
Anne, I love that your advice stands the test of time. It’s just as valid now as it was 15 years ago.
Before getting published, I wrote about a dozen practice novels and collected a couple hundred rejections. At the time (late 1990s-early 2000s), I was sure each would win an Edgar for best first novel if published.
These days I could self-publish those books but I won’t. Looking back now, I realize they weren’t ready. They really were “practice” and not ready for prime time.
You learn more and get better with each new book you write. I kept at it and now have nine published thrillers.
Good friend and mentor Dennis Foley says, “You can’t fail at writing unless you give up.”
Don’t give up.
Debbie–I love your friend’s quote. It’s so true. We need to keep going. One book is just a starting point. I have so many practice books. Some I’ve mined for short stories, and others are better left in the files, not reminding me of the newbie mistakes I made when I started out.
Ha! And it’s not only new writers. Sone of us old writers continue to build inventory.
CS–Yeah, some writers have a whole store full of inventory to present to that agent once we “land” them. Good luck!
I feel like I’m doing this as a writer. I’ve got a bunch of short stories, plus a finished (though unpublished) novella and material from my blog, which is way more than the ten years I spent on only a novel that wound up a practice novel anyway. I’ve gotten much more accomplished.
Rich–It sounds as if you learned your lesson. No time spent writing is wasted, but a lot of us spend too much time on that practice novel. You’re very wise to write short fiction instead.
I’m your perfect example, Anne! it was my third book that got picked up an agent and publisher. My first book – well, I’ve destroyed all scraps of it! Definitely a practice work. My second novel… I looked at that after three novels had been published, and reworked it entirely into one of my most successful ever (it was The Goddaughter’s Revenge. Can you believe it?) And you are so correct about the long haul. My agent is going into contract negotiations for novels 20 and 21 this week. I try to tell my students that being an author means continual writing, not just one book.
Melodie–I do think a “practice novel” can often be revised into something publishable after we’ve learned more about things like structure and character arcs. I loved The Goddaughter’s Revenge!
I like this perspective! I’m writing my first horror novel now, but it’s the second novel I’ve written. My first novel (in a totally different genre) failed to attract an agent. I already have a few dozen published short stories in the horror genre, going back six years. Sadly, I suspect neither my first novel nor my short stories count as inventory. They have definitely been great practice, however.
Jen–It sounds as if you’ve found your niche and your genre. That’s an important part of the “building inventory” stage. Keep working on that novel, and maybe write a story or two while you’re doing it. Sometimes writing a story about one of the characters can also give your novel writing some “oomph.” Stories like that will help sell the novel when it does get published.
Thanks Anne. Yes, the horror genre feels like home. I like the idea of writing a story about a side character, but how do you feel such stories would help sell a novel? I have the impression that agents don’t really care what short stories a novelist has written (unless they won an award or were featured in the New Yorker or something).
Jen–I’m not talking about selling the book to an agent. You’re right that agents aren’t interested in short stories. But after your novel is published, short stories in anthologies and genre magazines get your name in front of readers of your genre. Mystery anthologies have done a lot to sell my books. Many small publishers put out anthologies of stories by their authors. That means readers of each author see stories by all the other authors and if they like what they see, will buy their books.
Another great post, Anne. My first novel no longer exists, except in memories I can’t quite expunge. My second novel was rejected a few times; I realized I needed to make a fundamental change to one of the characters (from male to female) and rewrite the whole second half. I then published my third novel as my “first,” published my rewritten second and published a duology in a different genre. And I was always writing short stories, before and after my novel publications, and managed to sell most of those–some twice to publishers who valued reprints. My odd fantasy novel “Saving Atlantis” has been rejected over 60 times–over 40 of those by agents, even though I had four novels already published. But I had a feeling after the first ten or so that I might have to self-publish that one; it’s outside the usual perimeters of anything. So, I took the plunge and signed with Gatekeepers Press. They have a top rating by the BBB and don’t appear in Writer Beware, and they’ll do everything I’d have to do to self-publish, and more, and the cost won’t be that much higher. And I’ll keep 100% of royalties. The time and aggravation I’ll save is worth it. And they offer a much lower cost than Atmosphere Press.
Fred–Don’t you love those magazines that take reprints? Short fiction and personal essays can have a long life in several venues that way. Self-publishing is often the best option for books that don’t fit with what’s currently in fashion. Gatekeeper Press seems to be a good choice for writers who prefer to get some tech help in self-publishing. Best of luck with Saving Atlantis!
I really appreciate this post, Anne. I’ve had some small success with my novels (one published by HarperCollins and a self-published one scored some finalist and first prize wins. But with a couple of dozen queries out for novel number six and now spending time deep into outlining for number seven, I’ve been trying to stay positive that some of my backlist might ever see the light of publishing day. Your comments confirm the long-haul perspective I’m trying to maintain on our crazy craft.
Bryan–“The long-haul perspective” is what drives a successful writing career. But a pro like you can afford to self-publish books that don’t fit into current publishing fashion. Often those rejections only mean that the publisher is only buying Romantasy this year, or the book is not a close enough copy of the current #1 bestseller.